HARTFORD — Immigrant students without legal status in the United States are again urging Connecticut legislators to make them eligible for institutional financial assistance at state-run colleges and universities.
This marks the fifth year that legislation has been proposed to make immigrant students eligible for financial aid funded by tuition payments from all students. Opponents have said the bill sends the wrong message.
Students and their supporters told the General Assembly’s Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee on Tuesday about the struggles the immigrant students face in trying to fund their education.
Both Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman are urging lawmakers to finally pass the legislation this year, saying circumstances by which the students arrived in the U.S. should not determine their futures.